There is an election coming up on
November 8. You do know that, right? You might have received an official notice in the mail and wondered what is going on. I did, and the fact that I knew very little about the candidates or the issues involved bothered me a little. You see, I try and vote in every election. I figure that if people have gone to all the trouble and expense of putting their name on the ballot, and then our election officials send out their fine little booklet so that the voters can be properly prepared to make an informed decision, one that will supposedly affect us all in a meaningful way, then it really is our duty to find out what it's all about.
The problem with many things local is that few people pay any attention. Folks assume that everything is taken care of, and that their interests are always being properly represented. After all, life has always been just fine here, and is there any reason why things shouldn't go on that way forever? And having come to that unfortunate conclusion most go merrily on their way, giving little thought to whatever matters may be raised by those few brave souls who actually know better.
On November 8th there is an election, and we have a candidate. Thanks to some concerned denizens of this blog I have gotten discuss some things with a gentleman by the name of Brian Fuller, and he truly deserves your vote. What he is running for is the Pasadena City College Board of Trustees, and whatever it is that stirs in peoples' hearts to do good works and dedicate years of their lives to things desperately needing just that kind of devotion, Brian has been moved to do so for PCC.
A lot of us became involved in last year's Pasadena Unified School District election, and took on a long established old boy network that has been governing the place since deep into the previous century. This particular OBN being more than content to administer over the couple hundred millions of dollars in school construction bond money that is the source of their real power and concern. But even the most cursory glance at the achievement scores and dropout rates at PUSD conclusively shows that these people have had shockingly little success in the actual business of educating kids. Outside of the success shown at the Sierra Madre schools, which is something much more to the credit of the parents and teachers who put in untold hours of hard work there to make good things happen, the PUSD is a mess.
What you need do here is look at this Pasadena City College Board of Trustees election in a similar light. And here is a fact that you should find as disheartening as anything that came out during those recent PUSD elections. Only 16% of Pasadena Unified School District students who attend PCC graduate from its two year programs. 16%! Which to me is a statistic that speaks volumes about the need for change there. Once again it is a case of careerist elected bureaucrats, people who do little good for others, and only care about holding on to their jobs. Something that benefits nobody but themselves.
Brian Fuller is a young businessman, born in 1978 and, as an Apple certified IT professional, the owner Fuller Concepts. Using that technological expertise, one of his goals for PCC is to develop a database that will properly gauge each student's progress at the school, something that will help a more concerned cadre of administrators take an active interest in each student's progress. Something that, given the alarming dropout rate at PCC of PUSD grads, is sorely needed.
Another goal Brian has established for himself is to promote student enrollment in programs that will make a difference in their career development later on. Science technology, and the engineering and math fields of study, is where Brian feels students should be putting more of their focus. We live in an era where computer technology has become by far the most dominant form of business and government communication. By developing these kinds of skills, PCC graduates will not only be able to enter fields that are both financially and emotionally rewarding, but become true contributors to the economy of our area as well.
Brian has an opponent, of course. Her name is Dr. Jeanette Mann, and she serves as the President of the Board of Trustees. She has been there for almost three decades. So certainly Jeanette should be seen as a responsible party for everything that is going on at PCC, right?
On Wednesday evening there was a Board meeting held at Sierra Madre Elementary School. There were PCC students attending, and one of them stood up and read a carefully prepared speech. It was a stunning rebuke of Dr. Jeanette Mann, and is a good indication that those who actually attend the school feel they have been poorly served by its de facto Trustee for Life. I have been given a transcript of that speech and I would like to post much of it here.
With the PACCD Board of Trustees election just a month away, it is time that we stop ignoring some of our problems. I know the Dr. Jeanette Mann has been on the Board longer than I have been alive, and does not like to have anyone, whether a student, a staff member, or a member of the public challenge her. In fact, most people do not challenge her because she is so unpleasant. Staff and managers are afraid of her, and afraid of what she will do to them.
On the other hand, if no one stands up to her, then we are a part of the problem.
I found out from one of the history professors on campus that Dr. Mann has been sending her campaign pleas to the managers, faculty and staff on campus, in direct opposition to what she is supposed to do. She has gone to groups on campus such as the Classified Senate and unions not only to get their support, but also to get their money. Were is the outrage? Who holds her to account?
She leaked confidential memos that she has received from people she has no business communicating with, much less providing information of a highly confidential nature. In the case that I learned about, on July 21, 2009, she provided the Faculty Association with the District's negotiating position on the eve of the actual negotiations, completely undermining the District she is supposed to serve. Where is the outrage? Who holds her to account?
And let's not forget that it was Dr. Mann who intervened in the college's presidential hiring process to hire Dr. Perfumo. Had it not been for her actions during the hiring process, where she worked behind the scenes to apply pressure to the hiring committee and the Board of Trustees, Dr. Perfumo, who was not even being considered for the position, would not have become President of PCC. Dr. Mann knew she was not supposed to get involved in this way, but she did. In the end, the college not only wasted two full years of precious time, but also spent a million dollars on Dr. Mann's experiment. Where is the outrage? Who holds her to account?
The Perfumo Scandal, as it became known there, is pretty much a signature reason for the voters to dismiss Dr. Mann. It is widely believed that Perfumo was hired only because of Mann's intervention and pressure. Perfumo was not one of the finalists vetted by the faculty, board, or students, rather she was handpicked by Jeanette Mann herself. And the choice was a disastrous one. Perfumo had a very troubled history at Solano Community College, where she ended up resigning her presidency after its Board of Trustees had voted to terminate her contract. A performance very similar to the one she later repeated at Pasadena Community College. The Perfumo Scandal went on to cost some Board members their seats. Now it is Dr. Jeanette Mann's turn to go.
Here are some details as supplied by the campus paper, the Pasadena City College Courier:
Perfumo's Departure Still Unexplained: (Sept 10, 2009) Questions about former PCC President Paulette Perfumo's surprise resignation linger as few details have emerged in the weeks since. Two weeks after she requested a personal leave of absence, Perfumo resigned as president, but retained an unspecified administrative role, according to a prepared statement read by Board President Jeanette Mann after a special meeting held on Aug. 25.
The paper attempted to get some of the details behind the surprise resignation, but were stonewalled.
"I am legally prohibited from commenting on Dr. Perfumo's situation," said Trustee Consuelo Rey Castro last week. "You may want to talk to Dr, Mann the Board President. Other trustees deferred to Dr. Mann as well. "Try Dr. Mann," said Geoffrey Baum on Monday. William Thomson said he would have to direct any questions to Mann, as did John Martin. "I'm governed by Board Protocols on such personnel issues to refer you to the Board President, Martin said.
Mann, of course, had very little to say. However, considering that Perfumo was being paid $226,000 a year in taxpayer money, and continued to received $215,000 a year until her "unspecified administrative role" was completed, shouldn't we have been given an explanation? Whatever the reason, we never got one.
After 28 years in office we really have the right to expect a better performance from a PCC Board of Trustees President.
We need to help elect Brian Fuller. Election day is Tuesday, November 8th. And let's face it, voter turn out for an election like this one will be nearly non-existent. There is a reason why people like Dr. Jeanette Mann get to hang on to elective jobs for 28 years, that being nobody is watching the store. But look at it this way, if 300 people turn out in Sierra Madre to vote for Fuller, Mann's reign will finally be over. Here every vote really will count.
Talk to people. This matters.
http://sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
You should never allow yourself to fall into the trap of over-thinking the obvious. The wildly inaccurate disinformation that Susan Henderson writes and publishes in her paper about matters of importance to this town being an obvious example.
